1. Field of Invention
This invention is in the general field of building construction and, more particularly, relates to measurement of the thickness of a fire resistive material deposited upon a structural member of a building.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fire prevention in a building typically includes depositing a fire resistive material upon structural members of the building during its construction.
It should be understood that the fire resistive material has its most frequent use where the building is large and structural members are made from steel. Although steel is not flammable, heat from a fire can make steel of a structural member sufficiently malleable to result in a collapse of the building. During a fire, the fire resistive material maintains the steel at a reduced temperature that obviates the collapse of the building.
The fire resistive material is typically mixed with water and deposited as a spray upon the structural member. After being deposited, the thickness of the fire resistive material is measured by a gauge that includes a measuring rod with a pointed end that selectably extends from a sheath. The extension from the sheath is made to substantially equal a minimum acceptable thickness.
The gauge is used by pushing the pointed end of the rod through the fire resistive material to the structural member. When there is a space between the fire resistive material and the sheath, the thickness of the fire resistive material is insufficient.
The fire resistive material may not be of uniform thickness on any given structural member of the building. Additionally, the building may have a plethora of different structural members that require different thicknesses of fire resistant material deposited thereon. Therefore, many measurements may be necessary. The measurements are time consuming and costly.
An object of the present invention is to easily determine whether the thickness of a fire resistive material deposited upon a structural member of a building either equals or exceeds a minimum thickness.
According to the present invention, a proximal end of a rod is connected to a base to form a structure in the general shape of a nail.
The invention provides a simple, inexpensive device that is easily useable for measuring the thickness of a fire resistive material deposited upon a structural member of a building. The device is of a type that is heretofore unknown in the prior art.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention should be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.